An HP executive said Thursday that the TouchPad tablet is not meant to take the market away from the iPad and is instead aimed at the enterprise, while a new report claims Apple is set to overtake HP next year as the world's leading portable PC vendor, if iPads are taken into account.

TouchPad

Richard Kerris, HP's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, said in an interview with The Loop that the company doesn't see itself as being in a direct confrontation with Apple over tablets.

We think theres a better opportunity for us to go after the enterprise space and those consumers that use PCs, he said. This market is in its infancy and there is plenty of room for both of us to grow.

We think the world of Apple and have the utmost respect for their products, he continued. It would be ignorant for us to say that we are going to take it [the market] away from Apple.

The 9.7-inch TouchPad is set to launch Friday starting at $499. Early reviews of the device called it "mediocre" and "no match for the iPad 2," though they praised the tablet's attractive form factor and webOS's potential.

The company's non-aggressive strategy with the iPad takes a different tack from other tablet competitors. For instance, Motorola's ads for its Android-based Xoom tablet have portrayed iOS users as drones, while Research in Motion marketed its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with the slogan "Amateur hour is over."

HP's entry into the tablet market has been much-anticipated because the company, much like Apple, developed both the software and hardware. WebOS was a "prized asset" acquired by HP last year when it bought Palm for $1.2 billion.

The world's largest computer maker touts webOS as being "built from the ground up for the Web." The TouchPad's Synergy feature, which coordinates multiple calendar, contact and photo accounts, is billed as a "true cloud initiative that's functioning today." Kerris pointed to the tablet's ability to operate in the cloud from day one and just work "out of the box" without being connected to a PC as evidence of HP's innovations.

When questioned about negative reviews of the device, Kerris said the issues would be fixed with over-the-air updates. As long as you have a plan, youll be fine, he said.

Portable market share

Even as HP has declined to say it will take away the consumer tablet market from Apple, a new report suggests the Cupertino, Calif., Mac maker will soon dethrone HP as the leading global portable PC vendor.

Citing industry sources and market research firms, DigiTimes projected Apple will ship a combined total of 75 million notebooks and tablets in 2012. By comparison, HP is expected to ship 45-50 million notebooks in 2011 and is not believed to be able to compete with Apple for the top spot in 2012.

More specifically, the report speculates that Apple will ship 40 million iPads in 2011 for a 60 percent share and 60 million units in 2012 with a 75 percent share. Additionally, Apple is said to ship 15 million MacBooks in 2012. By way of reference, the company sold 3.76 million Macs in the March quarter, a 28 percent increase year over year.

Last year, analysts noted that reclassifying the iPad as a PC would push Apple past rival makers to give the company the top spot among computer manufacturers in the U.S.

Apple will untether the iPad from the PC later this year with the release of iOS 5. The next major upgrade to Apple's flagship mobile operating system has been designed with a "PC-free design" and should allow the company to eliminate the PC or Mac requirement currently designated for the iPad and iPad 2.

"Perhaps iOS 5s paramount feature is that its built to seamlessly work with iCloud in the Post PC revolution that Apple is leading," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs earlier this month.

"iPad? No, wait, wait wait... Who said we're competing with it? We're going after enterprise and 'consumers that use PCs'... which means we can avoid more judgement and bashing from analysts and the press for a little while, even though it's obvious our product is garbage". What's that? 'Consumers that use PCs' are also buying iPads? Can't be that many, right?".

I'm confused. Wasn't it just days ago that HP made news saying that their tablet was better than #1: #1+? How do they go from that to not taking marketshare from Apple? Worse yet, did they just officially reframe the TP as an enterprise, rather than consumer play? Isn't that what companies say when they know they are going to fail in the consumer space?

Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...

Yup, because 'the enterprise' has not heard about the iPad much and besides, 'the enterprise' likes sluggish, heavy tablets with poor battery life and very very few apps.

Indeed! That's why the PlayBook was so successful with "the enterprise". Oh, wait...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Voyer

I'm confused. Wasn't it just days ago that HP made news saying that their tablet was better than #1: #1+? How do they go from that to not taking marketshare from Apple? Worse yet, did they just officially reframe the TP as an enterprise, rather than consumer play? Isn't that what companies say when they know they are going to fail in the consumer space?

Bingo. HP saw the initial reviews, and even before the darn TouchPad is released to the public they're already making, as I said, a strategic retreat. This is a train wreck in slow, slow, slow motion.

"Our tablet sucks and got trashed in the reviews, so let's attempt to play the old 'for business users' card and hope everyone takes the bait."

The question is: why get a WebOS powered tablet that someone f-ked up when business users can get an iPad, ready to go, with a complete, robust ecosystem already in place?

Samsung tried this baloney with the Galaxy Tab Beta and then proceeded to unload a whole bunch onto unsuspecting consumers (suckers) and then cut them loose completely when they went back to do a redesign.

Members of the other communities wonder why they get their nose rubbed in it by Apple fans. It is due to statements like the one I alluded to above. Did HP really have to come out talking about how the TP was so much better than the iPad? Really? Did RIM have to come out crowing about how amateur hour was over? Really? Sew the wind; reap the whirlwind. I love watching these arrogant fools fall on their faces, just like they will enjoy Apple's demise if and when it finally comes.

Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...

"Our tablet sucks and got trashed in the reviews, so let's attempt to play the old 'for business users' card and hope everyone takes the bait."

This is the exact same thing they did with the Slate 500. Remember, it started out its life as a consumer tablet when introduced by Steve Balmer. Only after the iPad was unveiled and selling faster than they could be produced did HP decide that the Slate was actually an enterprise tablet. The WebOS tablet would be for consumers. Now that the WebOS tablet is the new Slate, where does HP go from here?

Apple has no competition. Every commercial product which competes directly with an Apple product gives the distinct impression that, Where it is original, it is not good, and where it is good, it...

I was going to add some comment about this product in the enterprise but I see you all beat me to it.

The iPad was an entirely new product class and everything trying to copy it still hasn't really made the same level of product. You might say that Android is a nearly equivalent experience to the iPhone, but the iPad is simply the kind of product that is very difficult to imitate and requires a better software library than your standard smartphone.

Most tablets have been garbage because they rely on doing something different than the iPad, like having a smaller screen, which doesn't make sense because Apple got it right the first time. It's good that the TouchPad is at least a similar dimension.

I highly suggest reading about the touchpad outside what amounts to an Apple fan site. The only thing really wrong with the TouchPad is the sluggishness and lack of apps for the moment.

By purchasing Palm HP has the same level of software/hardware control that RIM and Apple do. It's up to HP to provide the goods, and I think they have some promising included software, but the iPad launch shows how Apple creates great software to showcase any new product and inspires 3rd party developers by setting a standard. iWork and GarageBand for iPad come to mind, as well as the long list of included apps. http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/ Android 3.0 has basically flopped because of this same issue, because of how Google has become Microsoft in that they provide the OS and that's it. About all they provide is an email client, navigation (which is the only killer app they have), and random little experimental products like Goggles, which is cool, but incredibly useful yet.

HP has fallen short here but has good ideas, like the way they structure their app store like a magazine. They have fallen short by not providing document editing software, etc. What the heck are you supposed to do with it?

WebOS has a great interface and I can imagine it being even better on a tablet. It seems like HP just missed the target here by coming out with hardware and software that makes you want to wait until the second generation of their device. In contrast, the original iPad was literally only missing a camera (understandable because again, Apple literally invented this class of product)

There is no incentive to buy another tablet besides an iPad. It is the cheapest, fastest, and has the best 1st and 3rd party software available; it's the thinnest, and highest quality (why should I buy a plastic HP when Apple has an aluminum construction?) While the iPhone has competent competitors the iPad has none and it doesn't look like anybody's getting any closer.

This is the exact same thing they did with the Slate 500. Remember, it started out its life as a consumer tablet when introduced by Steve Balmer. Only after the iPad was unveiled and selling faster than they could be produced did HP decide that the Slate was actually an enterprise tablet. The WebOS tablet would be for consumers. Now that the WebOS tablet is the new Slate, where does HP go from here?

Yup, then they fail because they realize that "Enterprise" doesn't mean "we don't have quality standards"

The most silly part of what HP is saying is when they talk about how they want to sell this to people connecting their tablets to PCs. In what way is the iPad not good at connecting to Windows PCs? They won't even have to connect their iPads to anything once iOS 5 comes out.

"iPad? No, wait, wait wait... Who said we're competing with it? We're going after enterprise and 'consumers that use PCs'... which means we can avoid more judgement and bashing from analysts and the press for a little while, even though it's obvious our product is garbage". What's that? 'Consumers that use PCs' are also buying iPads? Can't be that many, right?".

But it's sad HP lost this golden opportunity to compete in the tablet market.

I wish these executives would say this, "we are not trying to compete with the iPad" BEFORE they get horrible reviews.. Now their lack of sales is "justified".

I can understand companies saying this, because it's not realistic to be able to knock off an 80%+ marketshare leader in a product category the company basically invented.

There is an incentive to buy Android over iPhone for some people. You can get Android phones for less in some cases, or have more freedom choosing your wireless carrier. Android is a great platform for people who crave customization and a little extra freedom. My Android phone is a little low end, but I paid $150 and have a $25/mo no contract unlimited data/text plan. That's a nice advantage over the iPhone.

But what incentive is there to buy any other product than an iPad? If you are going to plunk $500 down on a product like it, why would you buy a different one?

But it's sad HP lost this golden opportunity to compete in the tablet market.

It's not lost. WebOS is great and many of the problems of this device can be solved in software updates, mainly the sluggishness.

I won't repeat things I have already said on this same thread but for the most part Apple doesn't come out with products that make you crave the next revision; HP should have taken more time to complete this product and created more software to showcase it. There's no rush - the iPad has a huge lead and if you want to compete with it you need to take your time and come out with something spectacular.

It's not lost. WebOS is great and many of the problems of this device can be solved in software updates, mainly the sluggishness.

I won't repeat things I have already said on this same thread but for the most part Apple doesn't come out with products that make you crave the next revision; HP should have taken more time to complete this product and created more software to showcase it. There's no rush - the iPad has a huge lead and if you want to compete with it you need to take your time and come out with something spectacular.

I agree webOS is a great well thought out functional OS. It has bugs, but it's got so many plusses, like intuitive functional multitasking, easy to access notifications, unique touch gestures, and an overall easy to use UI with quick simple access to all the features.

If only HP/Palm could get a nice device out there to showcase the plusses of webOS and took the time to refine and polish it even more.

HP had the iPad in mind the whole time, that much is fairly obvious. If it weren't for the iPad, HP would never have released or even thought of making their Touchpad in the first place. The same goes for every other tablet maker that is not Apple. They're all trying to grab a tiny piece of the tablet pie. Most have only gotten a few pathetic crumbs so far.

When the iPad 2 was announced, after Steve Jobs showed off the shocking new design of the iPad 2, the people at Samsung basically freaked out and ran around cursing at each other in Korean. The top brass quickly hatched a new plan and Samsung ordered the engineers to totally redesign the Samsung tablet and to make it thinner, otherwise their heads would get chopped off. Luckily for them, they successfully completed the task.

Over at HP, unlike Samsung, HP decides to keep their tablet design, which was based on the first generation iPad. When you see what the inside of a Touchpad looks like, it's possible that HP just didn't have the competence or the skill to make a thin tablet. Maybe Samsung had access to some information that they weren't supposed to have, and that's how they were able to redesign their tablet so quickly. I mean, it's not like Apple is suing Samsung or anything like that.

This is the exact same thing they did with the Slate 500. Remember, it started out its life as a consumer tablet when introduced by Steve Balmer. Only after the iPad was unveiled and selling faster than they could be produced did HP decide that the Slate was actually an enterprise tablet. The WebOS tablet would be for consumers. Now that the WebOS tablet is the new Slate, where does HP go from here?

Oh god... I remember all the Engadget commenters when the original HP Slate was announced. They said it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. It ran Windows... it was the perfect tablet.

Then the iPad was announced.

It took a few months... but HP finally realized what they were up against. See the attached image below.

Then... the HP Slate was scrapped. But it came back. I mean... they had Steve Ballmer on stage showing the thing off... they had to produce it, right?

Finally... it came out as an $800 "business tablet" and no one talk about it anymore.

The HP TouchPad sounds great, in theory. But The iPad is just too strong. HP has been down this road once before... of course HP is gonna say they aren't trying to dethrone the iPad.

If anything companies are gonna be more interested in iPads because there are more developers for them out there to make apps and plus if they want to make apps then of course will have those. I'm pretty sure the HP Touchpad will be a great web browsing tablet like all the alternatives out there there's not a big enough audience and ecosystem out there to back them up. Add in the fact that this tablet is the same price, heavier, and less apps for the same price (not HP's fault because Apple price fixes components) then you're not gonna have a very successful device.

I know there are many people out there that like to say that iOS devices are crap because 99 percent of the apps out there are garbage but more apps out there also means more high quality apps. The less higher quality apps out there the better because I don't want to always spend more money on stuff I don't need

Out of all the competitors to the iPad, HP is the only one I will wish "good luck!" and mean it.
They obviously wont dethrone the iPad (at least for the foreseable future), but HP put out some very nice equipment imho. This tablet, once its gotten the edges roughed out, should be enough to keep Apple on their toes I think.

As some have noted, HP's challenge at the current price point is "why would I get this over an iPad?" It's a considerable challenge when you are talking about a device that you hold in your hands for extended periods of time. The materials and build quality of the iPad are insane when compared to the TouchPad. At the same exact price point, most people will feel like they are getting a higher quality product in the iPad. Another thing that's funny is that there were all those jokes of the first-gen iPad being an oversized iPod touch, but the TouchPad really looks like a gigantic iPhone 3GS. HP occasionally puts out decent looking hardware and hopefully they can step up their hardware game in the TouchPad 2.

It's truly unfortunate because I think webOS has huge potential. It is in some dire need of optimization, and I am hoping that they can work it out. Some of the UX paradigms are fantastic, but there are aspects of webOS that just seem neglected. It's weird; I have been following webOS since it was first announced and speed has been somewhat of an issue from the outset. At this point, I hope it can get worked out and first impressions of webOS 3.0's speed don't hinder growth.

If there is any platform other than iOS that I hope thrives, it's webOS. It's visual polish and UX are top notch. It's also the only platform that I would even consider other than my current iPhone and iPad setup. I have had random experiences with Android, and it's not anything I would voluntarily use, but webOS has potential.

This was the funniest bit of the whole article, evn though it's completely unrelated to the TouchPad:

Quote:

The company's non-aggressive strategy with the iPad takes a different tack from other tablet competitors. For instance, Motorola's ads for its Android-based Xoom tablet have portrayed iOS users as drones, while Research in Motion marketed its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with the slogan "Amateur hour is over."

In hindsight, it's almost beyond comprehension how Motorola marketing ever came up with the brilliant idea trying to sell the Xoom by painting a picture as if iPad users are drones, what were they thinking? That they were going to sell more Xooms to the <1% of people who think they are so f*ing special they can't be seen using a popular product enjoyed by millions of people, such as the iPad? . The RIM slogan is even better, 'Amateur hour is over', it's almost sad now we've all seen how the Playbook turned out. Maybe they were referring to 'iPad killers' of yore, like the JooJoo and the Notion Ink Adam?

WeoOS, or it's potential, is the most praised part of the TouchPad. This is what HP paid for. One thing that might be forgotten is that WebOS is WebKit running on a Linux kernel. It is possible that this imposes some fundamental problems on it's flexibility and performance on current generation hardware.

When Palm Pre was released, the hardware it ran on was twice as fast as the 1st generation iPhone, but it felt the same. That is, the WebOS performed twice as slow compared to the iOS.

We are two years from the Pre now. The hardware is even faster, and the WebOS is still sluggish. What is the reason to expect that this will be fixed real soon with a software update? The perpetual expectation for the next great update started with Pre, and now the TouchPad takes over!

Ah, and the superior, the "real" multitasking! It was causing even more sluggishness with the Pre, and the same problems are back with the TouchPad! May be this "real" multitasking is not that great of advantage after all, may be Apple got it right, and WebOS team did not?

I'm assuming you meant that to be read in a sarcastic tone. But in reality, second place isn't that bad of a place to be in. It's third place (or fourth or fifth...) that you don't want to be in. Sure, Windows is the number 1 OS and the mac is number 2... but number 3? uhhh... McDonalds is the number 1 burger chain and Burger King is number 2... but number 3???